In any lifetime
by princesslillyan
Summary: Collections of small captain swan centered drabbles and one shots of things that hit my fancy and demand to be written. Please note that rating has gone up for content in later chapters.
1. Home Alone Tonight

So this is my first ever uploaded work on this site. This collection I'm beginning here is inspired by different songs that catch my fancy and give me all the feels. To get the mood of this little bitty, Listen to Home Alone Tonight by Luke Bryan.

 _ **Home Alone Tonight**_

He finds her sitting up by the bar, a bottle of beer in one hand and 2 empty shot glasses in from of her. She was a vision of beauty as always, but tonight something was off. He knew something must have happened. She normally steers clear of taking shots.

"Swan," he greets as he slides into the bar stool next to her. "What matter of melancholy has me dragging my arse out in the snow, 3 days before Christmas?" She doesn't look at him, just picks up her phone, unlocks the screen, opens a conversation and slides the phone back to him before taking another sip of beer. Raising an eyebrow, he picks up the phone. He groans when he sees who it was with. _Neal fucking Cassidy_

 _Hey Ems_

 **What do you want**

 _I was thinking about you. Wondering how you are._

 **I'm great, amazing even**

 **What do you want**

 _I miss you_

… **.**

 **You've got to be fucking kidding me**

 _Come on Ems. I love you, and miss you. When are you coming home?_

 **This is not ok. You can't just message me out of the blue like this.**

 _Look, I know I messed up, but don't you think two years is punishment enough?_

 _Stop this foolishness and just come home already_

 **It's not punishment! Our relationship is OVER! I caught you in our bed with another woman!**

 _It was an accident, a mistake!_

 **NO, an ACCIDENT is slipping and falling on ice. You did not slip and fall into a woman's vagina!**

 _I still love you_

 **That's your issue to deal with. I am under no obligation to return your love. We are over, forever**

 _I know you miss me._

 **You're just not going to let this go are you? How do you figure I miss you?**

 _You haven't been in a relationship since us. You obviously still have feelings for me._

… **.**

… **no**

… **just no**

 **Please take your delusions back to Tamale or whatever the hell her name is**

 _Tamara, her name is Tamara._

 **Don't care, have a nice life Neal**

 _I'm not going to give up on us_

 **Will you stop already? Roll over, kiss your girlfriend and leave me the hell alone**

 _Tamara's sleeping_

 **OMFG you are pathetic! LEAVE ME ALONE!**

Killian slid the phone back to Emma and sat in shocked silence. A shot of whiskey appeared before him and he quickly downed it, letting the burn in his throat be a good distraction from the sudden onslaught of homicidal rage he was feeling. He had always believed that Neal was a bloody wanker, but now he had added manipulative bastard to the mix. He had never truly liked nor trusted the guy, but for a time, he made Emma happy, so he kept his opinions to himself. He took a sip from the bottle of beer that also appeared before him and sat in silent contemplation when Emma's sigh pulled his attention back to her.

"I think the part that bothers me the most," she started slowly, "is that he believes I need to be in a relationship to be over him. Like I can't be happy on my own."

"You're not exactly alone, love." He began. "You do have Henry." She gave him a deadpan look; he just shrugged with a grin and took another pull from his beer.

"I don't need anyone besides Henry. I'm perfectly content not being in a relationship. I don't really have time to go look either. Not many guys are lining up for a date with a single mother of a 14 month old."

"Who has the lad tonight anyway?"

"Mary Margaret, she's taking the boys to see Santa tomorrow. Lots of pictures, I promise."

They fell into a comfortable silence, sipping from their beer. It wasn't like Emma to be so rattled by her ex nightmare. She was strong, beautiful, and wildly independent. She had a very successful job as a social worker, helping kids in rough situations find peace and happy homes, and she was amazing at it. Giving the children the opportunities she never had growing up until David "adopted" her as a freshman in high school. Ruth, the amazing woman that she was, took one look at Emma and hadn't let her leave.

Emma was the strongest person he knew.

"So, aside from Sir Douchface wreaking havoc on your mind, what brings us out her tonight?"

"I need you to help me get some perspective." She took a deep breath and faced him. "I need you to play Devil's advocate for me."

"Aye?" He quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah, MM says that I should hear him out and possibly give him another chance. That he might truly be sorry and we can work things out. That maybe it's not worth throwing away 5 years of relationship."

 _Does she know that he was texting you while in bed with the woman that he cheated on you with?_ Was the first thought that ran through Killian's head. He felt his heart constrict in his chest. The last thing he personally wanted was for Emma to give Neal the time of day.

"The thing is that, I just don't want to? I know she means well, but I feel like she is trying to force or guilt me into it. And for her 'I don't want to' isn't a good enough reason, but it should be right?" She continued on before he had the chance to comment. "The idea of being in the same room as him makes my skin crawl. And the fact that he was trying to reconcile with me while in bed with _her_ makes me want to vomit, or take a shower. Two years later and the whole things still makes me feel dirty. I shouldn't need to justify why I don't want to be in a relationship with my cheating ex fiancé. Or any relationship for that reason."

"I agree, you need to do whatever makes you happy." He whispered.

"Ugh," she groaned and dropped her head onto her arms. "That is less than helpful." She rolled her head on her arm to look up at him. "I know you are all about choices, and I respect that, but I really want your honest opinion."

"My honest opinion?"

"Yeah, what would you do?"

He downed the rest of his beer and took a deep breath. "Neal is the scum of the Earth. Cheating on your fiancé is the highest of insults. Something you should NEVER do. He doesn't and never did deserve you and he definitely doesn't deserve Henry. And for the record, I wholeheartedly agree in withholding Henry from Neal. I have never seen you happier in the last two years, even with the stress of being a single mother and a working woman, you are beautiful and an inspiration.

"If you don't want to be in or look for a relationship, more power to you, Swan. No person should be defined by their relationship status. When and if you are ready, you will find someone who is worthy of you. To be your partner in all things. For you to stand shoulder to shoulder and have the world at your feet. Someone who will treat you as the princess you deserve to be treated like."

A tear slid down Emma's cheek, and with a wry smile he wiped it away with the pad of his thumb. "Is that all?" She whispered.

"Not quite." He leaned in and gently pressed his lips to hers in a chaste kiss. She didn't move under him and when he caught the saltiness of a lingering tear, he pulled away, afraid that he had overstepped his boundaries.

"I'm so sorry, I just," he sighed and took a step back. He watched as her eyes fluttered open and she murmured his name. "I wanted to do that, just once, I'm so sorry." He turned to flee the situation, but was halted when she caught his arm. "Swan, please," but his plea was silenced by her finger over his mouth, which was soon replaced by her lips as she reached up to him.

The slid of her lips and the hint of her tongue had his head swimming. Fighting against the disbelief, he used one hand to bury in her hair as the other slid to her waist to pull her closer. He angled her head to deepen the kiss and was encouraged by the moan of appreciation that came from the back of her throat.

"Hey!" they were startled apart by the bartender setting two new beers down in front of them. "If you two are going to attempt to suck each other's faces off, I suggest you take it somewhere else"

Emma hid her blush in the crook of Killian's neck while he nodded at the bartender who left them to head to the other end to help a rather rude customer. Emma gently tangled their fingers together and looked shyly up at him. He grinned down at her in wonder and amazement.

"So what now love?"

"Oh I have a few ideas."

* * *

Killian woke up slowly and stretched. He was slightly disoriented from the amount of sunlight seeping in through his window. What startled him was the decidedly female groan of displeasure that sounded next to him.

"Pillows don't move," she grumbled. Looking down in surprise, he recognized the unmistakable cascade of blonde hair that belonged to Emma splayed out over his pillows and her clearly bare shoulder.  
"Apologies love, I'm just trying to decided if I'm still dreaming or not." She gave him a sleepy grin and kissed his bare shoulder, before leaning up and placing a gentle kiss on his lips.

"Real enough for you?" she teased and snuggled back into his chest. He chuckled and pulled her closer to him.

"Oh aye," he murmured back and kissed the crown of her head. "Besides, if I'm dreaming, I never want to wake up."

"Me neither."

* * *

 _Last night_

"Shots, you want to do shots? Swan, we both know I can drink you under the table." Killian laughed. Swan's mischievous grin was infectious.

"What's the matter Jones, think you can't handle it?" she taunted sliding the shot glass towards him. It was a murky brown with a tinge of green.

"What the bloody hell is in that glass?"

"A Dirty Girl scout. Just drink it and shut up." Emma taunted again. They threw them back together and Killian smacked his lips at the minty concoctions.

"That was kind of mild. Going easy on me Swan?"

She threw her head back and laughed. The sound was music to his ears. "Don't worry Jones, the night is still young." With a smile, she tugged him out onto the dance floor.

"I'm pretty sure there are laws against this."

"Stop being such a worry wart. You'll like this one!" She lit the top of the shot glass on fire and carefully sprinkled cinnamon on it. It crackled just like a campfire. "Now blow this out carefully and down it right away." He followed her instructions, the rim of the glass was warm, but the liquid was delicious. It tasted like the chocolate marshmallow mess her and David had introduced him to when they were on a camping trip in high school.

"That was delicious!"

"Aye that is was. More dancing?" he asked with his hand outstretched.

"Absolutely."

* * *

"A blow job, really? That's the name of this?"

"Awe, come on, it's fun!"

"And I can't use my hands?"

"That's the other part of the fun."

His voice dropped low as the alcohol in his system started to lower his inhibitions. "Oh, Love, you have no idea how much _fun_ I can be."

"Mmm, promises, promises. Now quit stalling or the whipped cream will melt!"

Sighing, he clasped his hands behind his back as the leaned in and closed his whole mouth around the glass. The weight of the glass made it difficult to throw back but he managed. Using his hand to remove the glass from his mouth he had to admit it wasn't half bad.

"Oh Jones, you fail." She touched the side of his mouth where apparently some of the alcohol had dribbled out. She leaned in close and could feel the heat of desire start to flare in his body. "I can't believe you let such good alcohol go to waste. Let me help you with that." She teased and then licked the corner of his mouth. He couldn't resist the urge to kiss her proper and she laughed the whole way through it.

"Well, we've proven one thing."

"And what's that love?"

She leaned in close to his ear as she started walk away. "You're not gay," the last was word punctuated by her grabbing his ass. With a bark of laughter he followed her back to the dance floor.

* * *

"Killian, come here!" She pulled him up behind her.

"Time for another shot?"

"Nah, better." She held up her camera. "Smile!"

She snapped the pic just as he placed a kiss against her temple. She had her eyes closed in the picture and it was possibly the happiest he had ever seen her. Biting her lip with a smile, she sent the pic as a message to someone.

"Are you sure that was entirely wise?" He hated to put a damper on the mood, but he knew sober Emma would never have done that. She turned in his arms and smiled up at him.

"I've only had two beers and five shots in the past four hours. Between dancing, sweating, and kissing you, there's not much alcohol _in_ my system. I switched to water an hour ago. It was the _best_ idea."

* * *

"Creamy orgasm, I feel like you are trying to tell me something here Swan." She smirked at him as they picked up their glasses.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" They threw back their shots and set the glasses down. He reached for her hand and brought it to his lips.

"Perhaps I would," he whispered and placed a kiss against her finger tips causing her to giggle.

She shook her head at his silliness. "How are you still single?" She blurted out and his brow furrowed in confusion at her sudden question.

"Maybe I really like this woman and I'm just saving myself until she likes me back?"

"Well that's just silly." She says dismissively, but her eyes tell him that she is affected by his sudden confession. "If you never plan on telling her how you feel, she will probably never say anything, because her life is way complicated and she doesn't want to pull you into that chaos more than you already are. She's probably too afraid to upset the balance. The 'status quo' as it were."

"Oh Swan," he lifts his hand to caress her face. "I've loved this woman for over a decade now. I'll wait until she is ready. Even if that is forever." She raised her eyebrow and averted her gaze, looking towards the floor.

"It would be complicated. What if she had a toddler at home? A toddler that isn't his, but in all honesty you'd end up being the closest thing he has to a real father. She comes with baggage. Could you handle that?" He puts a finger gently under her jaw and lifts her head so she can look him in the eyes and know the truth of his words.

"Swan, her little man is _not_ a deal breaker. He knows full well what he is getting himself into. And he wants it all. The chaos, the sleepless nights, the death glares before morning coffee." That causes a smile, everyone in their group of friends knows not to talk to Emma before her morning cup of coffee. The only one safe from death is Henry. "Besides, I have my own baggage. Maybe I'm scared she will reject me. I lost my wife in a freak snow storm. I didn't handle the loss well, and 5 years later, I _still_ have issues getting on a city bus–" His words were cut off when she surged forward and caught his lips in a kiss. It wasn't as heated as her last kiss. This was gentle, showing emotion and caring.

She pulled away, but left her forehead pressed against his. "Killian, you know that accident wasn't your fault." She breathed against his lips. She felt him nod.

"I do, and I know she wouldn't want me to mourn her forever. She would want me to find love again. I love her, and I will always love her. She will always be a part of my past, but I can't live there." He pulled back and looked in her eyes. "When you are ready, Emma. Not before."

She blinded him with a dazzling smile and reached out for his hand to wrap around her waist before sinking into his chest. "Take me home, Killian." She whispers into his neck.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I don't want to go home alone for once."

"Oh, Swan, you never have to be alone again ever, if you wish."

 __

 _Like I said up top, this is my first published little bitty. I have a few more lined up, but I'll see how this goes over first. Cheerio loves_


	2. Consequences

I wrote this prior to the beginning of Season 4. This was my take on how 4x01 would start out... obviously not how things went down, But I still like it. I love Emma, she is by far one of my absolute favorite characters ever, but it was (and still is) a little hard for me to swallow that she sometimes let Regina walk all over her in season 4.

Again, there's no beta on this, all mistakes found are mine.

* * *

"You did this?!" Regina's voice cracked.

"I just wanted to save her life…" Emma mumbled, feeling awful. In an instant she had crushed Regina without meaning too. She had finally found the happiness and redemption she had been hoping for, and now it was gone.

"You're just like your mother, never thinking of consequences!" She snapped with a shake of her head.

 _Consequences_? "I didn't know-"

"Of course you didn't" Regina cut her off. "Well, you just better hope you didn't bring anything _else_ back." Emma stared at her in silence, the guilt and remorse written clearly on her face. The meaning of what Regina said was not lost on her. Regina was clearly alluding to Emma reawakening the Evil Queen.

As Regina turned and stalked out the door, Emma saw Roland in Marian's arms. No matter what else happened, Roland would have the chance to now grow up _with_ his mother. No one should have to grow up without their mother.

Emma stormed out the door. Regina was to the corner by the time she caught up to her.

"Regina-"

"What!? What could you possibly have to say to me? Don't you think you've done enough damage?"

"Get over yourself, Regina." Emma snapped. Regina looked as if she had been slapped.

"How dare y-"

Emma held up a hand to silence her and cut into her impending tirade. "No, this time you're going to listen to what someone else has to say." Regina crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, amused that Emma had the courage to taunt her. "Marian is alive! I was saving an innocent woman. I couldn't leave her in that cell to die. That's not what the good guys do. We save people. Am I sorry that I might have screwed up your chance at a happy ending, yes, I truly am. But Roland doesn't have to grow up now without his mother and the eventual realization that his step mother _killed_ his mother. You want me to apologize for that, I won't. We were thinking of consequences, that's why we brought her with us. We didn't know who she was."

Regina looked unfazed by her words, "you could have asked her."

"I didn't think to-"

"EXACTLY! You didn't stop to think. About how this would affect anyone," Regina screamed at her. Emma's temper flared and one of the street lights exploded. Regina could see the raw power course through Emma's eyes and for once she was actually intimidated. Not that she would let Emma know.

"Enough, Regina. You want to talk about consequences? How about cursing several kingdoms worth of people all because you felt slighted when a 10 year old girl was tricked into telling a secret to an evil woman. And when that evil woman killed the man you love, instead of blaming that twisted psychopath you called Mother, you blamed the innocent 10 year old girl, and held a grudge for 40 years! Were you thinking of the _consequences_ then? Were you thinking of the _consequences_ when you ripped out your own father's heart to cast the first dark curse? Or how about when you had an entire village slaughtered because they wouldn't turn on their rightful queen?" Emma could see the growing fury in Regina's eyes, and for the first time, it didn't intimidate her. She knew she could handle whatever Regina decided to throw at her.

"Pretty words for someone who has never known the pain of losing their true love…."

Emma slapped her hard enough she was knocked off balance. When Regina caught her footing and looked back, Emma saw a cut in the corner of her mouth. "I lost Neal! Not once, not twice, but THREE times! Four times if you count when I told past Rumple what happened and then pleaded with him to take the forgetting potion. Don't presume to think you are the only one who has ever lost someone. I was so devastated by his loss the first time, I gave up my son! He died in my arms because of _your_ sister."

Regina glanced away from Emma and smirked before looking back at her. "So you admit that Neal was your true love?"

"I never said that. But I love him still, and I will always love him. He will always hold a place in my heart." Emma paused cocking her head to the side. "But do you know what else I know. Even if he was my true love, he wouldn't want me to become something dark and twisted and incapable of compassion. He would want me to be happy, and find love again."

"With your _pirate_?" Regina scoffed.

Emma paused at her words, a small realization dawning on her. "Yes, with _my_ pirate. The man that Neal _knew_ loved me more than he did. The one he trusted with a memory potion stolen from your sister. The man that he trusted to find me, and bring me home."

"And what would you do, say if his precious _Milah_ came back into the picture? What if suddenly you had lost your ray of light?" Regina taunted. Emma let a slow smirk cross her face that was very reminiscent of her beloved pirate.

"Well, I am my mother's daughter. I would have _hope_ that everything would work out the way it was suppose to. But I certainly wouldn't threaten people with the return of the Evil Queen." Regina narrowed her eyes at her in a look that was supposed to be intimidating, however, it didn't faze Emma. "Here are some _consequences_ for you to think long and hard about Regina. Henry. Think about _him_ before you do anything that might even resemble being an act of vengeance."

"Is that some sort of threat Miss Swan?"

"No," Emma shook her head. "I'm one of the good guys, remember? I protect people. No, that was a promise. A promise that while I might not be fully trained in how to use my magic, I do know that it is more powerful than yours. And I will protect my family and my home."

Regina leaned in towards Emma's face and uttered "Good to know," before turning on her heal and walking away. Emma leaned on the light post with her arms crossed and watched her as she trudged away. She was completely in awe at Regina's lack of remorse. How anyone had the gumption to lecture her about the consequences of doing the right thing, when they had done so many wrong things was beyond her.

With a shake of her head, she gave a small smile and turned her head slightly, "Killian, you can stop lurking in the shadows anytime." He chuckled as he came out of the shadow of the building.

"How long have you known I was there, love?" he asked putting his arm around her shoulders. Together they turned back towards the dinner. She loved the feel of his arms around her.

"When she tried to get me to admit that Neal was my true love. She took her eyes off me for a split second." She admitted. Though his body gave nothing away, she could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest.

"And was he?" Killian asked softly. Emma stopped walking, stood in front of Killian and held his face between her hands, forcing him to look at her.

"I know you heard my answer to Regina. Every word was true. I will always love Neal." Killian nodded in what seemed like defeat and lowered his eyes. Emma ducked lower to regain his eyes. "But, if he was still here, he would not be the one I would be with." The look of uncertainty in his eyes gave her the courage to press on. "Do you know why I left you at the top of the beanstalk?"

"You said it was because you couldn't take the chance you were wrong about me." The way he answered led her to believe that the words had been burned into him, and he would never forget the way she had betrayed him.

"It's true. My instincts were telling me I could trust you. That you were a man of honor, even if you were a pirate, but do you know what else? I was scared. I knew that if I was to trust you, and you got passed all my walls, I would be utterly helpless. And at that time, I wasn't ready to be that vulnerable. In some ways, I'm still not ready. But I'm willing to try something new."

"What is that, love?"

"Trust, I've trusted you for a long time now, with my family, with my son, and I think I'm ready to trust you with something else too." She paused to make sure he was looking at her and only her. She took his hand and placed in on her chest "My heart." She then leaned up and kissed him softly. After a moment he moved his hand to her neck and pressed his hook into the small of her back to pull her closer, deepening the kiss.

"I love you," he murmured against her lips. She smiled and gave him another quick peck before pulling away from him. Resuming the position of his arm around her shoulders, she wrapped her arm around his waist and held his hand on her shoulder.

"I know. Now we get to have the fun part." She answered as they walked back to Granny's. "We get to deal with the consequences of the parents finding out the pirate stole the princess's heart." Killian groaned and rested his head on hers as they walked.

"Do you think the pirate is going to be allowed to live?" He asked, half serious. His answer was her laugh. Unrestrained, and so rare, he cherished the sound of it.

"I think the prognosis is good." She felt like she couldn't hide the smile on her face or in her heart.

Wrapped in his arms, they entered Granny's dinner. Together. Consequences be damned.


	3. Something Missing

_You should be here by Cole Swindell gave me all the feels, and in light of the coming heartache this weekend, I felt the need to get this up._

* * *

 _No more villains_

He could not remember the deck of the Jolly being home to such a happy display of merriment, but today had been just about perfect in every way. The children were busy running, playing and trying to watch the fish off the bow of the ship. Henry was having a hell of a time keeping track of them all, but he did it without complaint. He enjoyed spending time with the littles.

With a smile on his face, Killian turned away from the helm and leaned against the stern of the ship, staring out across the water. It had been a perfect day, their ceremony had gone off without a hitch. He was now a married man, something he had truly never believed would happen. It had taken almost 5 years, between curses, villains, time traveling, portal jumping, memory loss, more curses, sadistic Gods, and even death; he would not trade a moment of it, because it had brought him here. It took a while, but he had found his family, his home. And he could not be happier.

Still, he could not fight the feeling in the back of his mind that something was missing.

Or someone.

"Hey," Emma wrapped her arms around him from behind and rested her chin on her shoulder. "I can feel you brooding. Is everything alright?"

Turning his head, his placed a light kiss on her forehead and smiled. "Aye my love, everything is perfect."

"Liar," she accused fondly. He let out a soft chuckle as they continued to stare out at the horizon. Even as she was an open book to him, his Swan could read him just as well.

"It's been a perfect day." He sighed. "I just wish that he could be here. That he could see, and know." She nodded in agreement and rested her cheek against his shoulder.

After a few moments, she squeezed him then pulled back. He followed her movement with a sigh. "I have a surprise for you, follow me." She held his hand and led him to the ladder that led down to the captain's quarters.

"Love, we still have guests." He teased. "You can't wait to have your wicked way with me?"

She laughed and smiled up at him. "Trust me, there will be more than enough time for that later. I just need to grab something from a shelf, they won't miss us."

To say he was intrigued by how vague she was being was putting it lightly. He watched as she crossed the quarters with confidence and retrieved what she was looking for. He felt a swell of pride at how at home she felt on his ship. She held out her hand and he didn't hesitate to grab on.

"Love, what are we doing?" Still amused by her secretiveness.

"Trust me, just hold on." She smiled up at him, and he held on tightly as he felt her magic surge and they were surrounded by the grey smoke.

When the smoke cleared, he barely was able to mask his surprise. They were in the graveyard.

"Swan, this is a bit morbid of choice surroundings don't you think? And while I do trust that you haven't lost that brilliant mind of yours, would you mind explaining to me why we are in cemetery on our wedding day."

She took a deep breath and smiled timidly up at him. Her hand trembled slightly as she held out a small vial to him, and he took it with only a slightly raised eyebrow. "This is the last of the ale from the land of Dunbroch. Merida gave it to me before she returned home all those years ago. I've kept it safe, waiting for the right time. One drop on the grave of the departed one allows them to appear, and you can talk to them."

"Love, I don't understand." She motioned with her hand and he looked over. The head stone nearest them almost made his knees give out.

 _Liam Jones_

 _Beloved brother_

 _and Captain_

"I know he's not there. But I hope it still works." She whispered softly. "I had the headstone commissioned just after we returned from the underworld. I thought you might like a place to go, if you ever needed to talk to him."

Pulling her to him, he enveloped her tightly in his arms. "Even if the ale doesn't work, I appreciate the sentiment, and that this is a gift I will always treasure." They held each other a few more moments before she pulled away.

"I'll leave you alone for a moment." Making to move away, she didn't get far as he caught her elbow in his hook and pulled her back to his side.

"No love, you belong at my side, in all things. He would want to see you too." Assuring that she wouldn't wander away, he took a step forward and emptied the last of the ale in front of the stone. After a few breathless moments, Liam appeared in front of them.

"Hello Little Brother." Choking back a sob, Killian surged forward and embraced his brother. A tearful laugh later, Killian pulled away and Liam turned to Emma. "Miss Swan." He greeted and held out his arms for her too. Without hesitation she wrapped him in a hug as well.

"It's actually Mrs. Jones now." Killian corrected. Holding Emma at arm's length he smiled with pleasure.

"It's about time. You look absolutely beautiful, glowing even." Blushing, Emma averted her gaze and turned back to Killian. "I don't know how long I have, but I want you to know that I am so very proud of you, Killian. I don't want you to worry about me. I'm happy, I'm in a good place."

"Liam," he choked back another sob and reached for his brother's shoulder. "There are so many things I wish-"

"Nonsense. Things are as they are meant to be. You are where you are supposed to be. We will be together again. Hopefully not for a very long time." They all chuckled at that. Liam turned a serious head to Emma, "I do have a message for you though. A couple old friends wanted me to tell you they are pleased that you found happiness. One said that he found his heart, the other says he's glad you found Tallahassee. Whatever that means."

Emma sobbed and nodded her head in thanks. To Killian's dismay, Liam started to fade.

"No, I don't want you to go yet." He protested.

"I'm always with you little brother. Always." Liam reached out and lightly touched Emma's cheek. "It'll be a girl. To give my brother hell and many sleepless nights." he said with a wink before looking back at Killian. "I love you."

"I love you too." One more shoulder squeeze and he was gone. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Emma. "What about a girl?"

Emma laughed and shook her head. "I'll tell you tomorrow. Tonight, we have a party to get back to. Our happily ever after starts now."

The smile on Killian's face held no equal. "It does indeed."


	4. For Her Sake

_For My Sake_

 _Not gonna lie y'all, throughout season 2, I was on the fence about Neal/Baelfire. I guess you can say above all else I am an Emma fan, and anything that makes her a better person. I COMPLETELY understand where she was coming from in not wanting Henry to know about Neal. I seriously called bullshit when MM chastised Emma for not telling Neal about Henry. Not saying it was right or wrong, but I get it, and I can empathize with her on it._

 _The moment that I knew I could never truly support a relationship between Emma and Neal was early in Season 3, it wasn't even a Swanfire scene, Neal was still in the EF and had used Roland as bait to get to Neverland. What kind of asshole uses a 4 year old as bait!?_

 _So here is a little ( and I do mean little) bit, set after the return from Neverland, without the drama the Pan caused._

* * *

"Emma please," Neal pleaded with her. They were in the middle of the town square; there was no one in sight. Emma shook her head and tried to walk away. It was all just too much to deal with, they had only just managed to stop Pan, all she wanted was a drink, a hot bath and her bed. "You said you loved me, was that a lie too?"

Whirling around, she barely stopped her hand in time from slapping him. "You son of a bitch. I've never lied to you, I've never deceived you." His eyes went wide at her outburst. "After I got out of jail, I went to Tallahassee for two years. TWO YEARS I waited for you to come find me, but you never did."

"You know why." He whispered.

"Not good enough." She snapped back. "You shouldn't have left me. You should have stayed. I wouldn't have given up our son, and you could have helped me when the time came, to understand everything." The hurt of that betrayal was still raw in her voice, even 13 years later. Tears of frustration welled in her eyes. How could she make him understand what she went through. When he took a step forward to hold her, she backed away with her arms up. "No, you don't get to hold me. You don't get to touch me. You gave up that right when you gave up on us."

"I want to make this right by you. Just tell me what I have to do to win you back. I love you Emma."

She scoffed at him. "Yes, and last week I was just a jealous ex who let my _feelings_ cloud my judgment, but oh look, I was right. We've had our chance Neal. I'm not that same 17 year old. I do not want to be in a relationship with you."

"So this is you saying, you're choosing him."

This time she let her hand fly. The slap resounded through the empty streets. "You ass, he has nothing to do with it."

"He's the reason my mother is dead. He got her killed." He shouted at her. She couldn't believe of all the lies he knew his father told, that was the one Neal chose to believe.

"Your _father_ killed your mother. Pulled out her heart and crushed it right in front of Hook. All because she didn't love him."

"Who- who told you that? I can't believe that. Did Hook tell you that? To try to earn your sympathy? And you fell for that?"

"No, we've only ever spoken of her once." Confusion filled his eyes so Emma took a little pity on him. "It's in Henry's storybook. The pages showed up after we returned from Neverland. You can ask Henry for it, if you want. It's all in there for you to see."

"He's a pirate, Em. You can't trust him, he will betray you." His voice quieted and pleaded with her as he changed tactics.

Closing her eyes, she inhaled a calming breath. "No, he won't. Since I met him, all he has ever done is believe in me. Believe in me, when there wasn't a shred of evidence. Fought for me, even knowing there was a snowballs chance in hell that I would ever return his favor. He has never given up on me. Even so much as backed away because he believes I should have the choice, and we should have a chance, should I choose." He quirked his head slightly. "Yea, I know about what he told you in the diner, but the thing is, I don't want a relationship with you." She repeated. Once again tried to reach for her saying her name, but again she backed away. "No, just stop, Neal. Yes, I loved you, I will always love you, but I can't trust that you will stay."

Neal looked down and took a deep breath, "So I'm just supposed to let you go? I can't do that, we belong-"

"We? There is no 'we'. There is no 'us'. Enough is enough. Too many broken promises. Too much hurt. For my sake, please just stop." She pleaded with him.

"What about Henry? He's still my son too." As mad as she wanted to be, she still felt compassion for the broken look on his face. She reached out and gently squeezed his shoulder in reassurance.

"And he always will be, nothing will ever change that." She dropped her hand and caught his, brought it up to her lips and placed a gentle kiss on his knuckles. "Now I'm going to turn and walk away. Don't slow me down, don't hold me up, and don't make a scene. I've closed this chapter of my life, and I'm not going to look back."

She turned on her heel and walked away with her head held high. She heard his heartbroken whisper of her name, but she didn't slow down. She finally had the closure she craved. Now maybe she could begin to heal, and possibly learn to trust in love again.

For her own sake

* * *

 _wow, this went under quite the revision before I posted it, it's nearly twice the length it originally was!_

 _Hope y'all enjoy this one, and listen to For My Sake by Shinedown_


	5. Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming

Eyes flying open, he could feel the phantom pain of his torture. A deep shuddering breath escaped him as his true surroundings sank in. A warm body was pressed against him. Faintly the smell of vanilla filled his nose. With a sigh of relief, he pulled her body closer to him and rested his forehead in the crook of her neck.

"Hey," Swan whispered as she gently threaded her fingers with the hand against her hip. Pulling his hand up to her mouth, she placed a gentle kiss to his knuckles before pulling it and his arm tightly around her, nestling their hands in the space between her breasts. "Is everything alright?"

"Aye love," her placed a kiss against her shoulder. "For a moment, I was afraid it was all a dream. I thought- I thought I was still in Hades' dungeon."

Turning her head, she placed a gentle kiss to his forehead. "I'm here, I'm real. You're safe."

"Well, as safe as we ever are." He quipped. She hummed in agreement and snuggled back into her pillow.

"Don't worry, you'll always have me to protect you." She murmured as sleep started to pull her back under. "To hell and back again."

He smiled against her shoulder. "Aye, love, just as you'll always have me to return the favor. Wherever you lead, I will follow."

"Side by side. Together. Always." Her breath evened out as she fell back into slumber. Smiling to himself, he closed his eyes and waited for slumber to reclaim him, wondering the whole time what he had done so right to deserve the love of the amazing woman in his arms.


	6. A Quiet Moment

_Carrie Underwood's 'Heartbeat' is SUCH a captain swan song to me. Emma is always leaning her head against him, or has her hand on his chest, especially after 4A._

* * *

The smiles and revelry filled Granny's and Emma could not be happier. Everyone she loved, everyone she cared for, was in this small diner. Her parents were in a booth with her brother while Roland hung over them, trying to play with the baby. Henry and Violet were at the jukebox, trying to find something to play from the current decade. Failing, but trying. They were happy, and oblivious in their own cocoon of young love. And Killian…

Killian sat at the counter chatting with Granny. He had come a long way from the pirate who felt uncomfortable and not sure of his place around the heroes upon their return from Neverland. Now he didn't question it, he wasn't awkward or trying to hide in a corner. _Or in the bottom of a bottle._ Her heart swelled with so much love she didn't think her chest could contain it. He looked happy, at ease. At peace... After everything they had gone through the past months, they deserved this quiet moment. To hell and back again, they had survived.

As if sensing that her thoughts were on him, he turned and smiled at her. Without hesitating, she smiled back. For years, her walls had protected her from heartache and pain, but she was never more thankful for this man and his love than she was at this moment. Because of him, and his never-ending faith in her, she had her family. Whole and healed.

His patience and love, his willingness to take things at her pace, _to wait until she was ready_ … her parents love story might have been a fairytale, but theirs, theirs would be the stuff of legends. How many could say that their love defeated the Lord of the Underworld?

Making her way to his side, she reached out and gently kissed his cheek. "Hey, would you like to go for a walk?" She whispered in his ear.

Amusement and confusion filled his eyes, but he gave her a nod. "As you wish, Love." Standing up, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she weaved her arm around his waist and they strolled out, giving their goodbyes on the way.

They walked in comfortable silence. There was nothing that needed to be said.

As the revelry from the diner faded, the natural nighttime sounds filled the air. Just the hum of the streetlights and their footfalls could be heard, and she sighed in contentment. As much as she loved her family, this quiet moment she wanted it to be just the two of them.

He huffed in amusement when he realized their destination. In no hurry at all, they strolled lazily to the gang plank of the Jolly. It was then he let go of her shoulders and just held her hand as she led them aboard.

On the middle of the deck, they stood regarding one another, silly smiles on both their faces. "Not that I mind, but what are we doing here Love?" he asked as he gently rubbed her knuckles with his thumb.

"I wanted a quiet moment, away from the noise and everything. Just us." She couldn't hide the love in her soul if she tried. He smiled at her.

"And what shall we do with our quiet moment?" he swaggered towards her and she couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped because of his antics.

"Will you dance with me?" She managed to contain another burst of laughter as he raised his expressive eyebrow.

"There's no music." The playful objection is cut off as she placed her hand in his chest, right above his heart.

"This is all the music I need," she whispered then placed her head on his shoulder and wrapped both arms around him. Without hesitating he put his arms around her shoulders and held her, resting his chin on her head with a contented sigh.

Turning her head, she nuzzled further into his neck, her lips ghosting over his collar bone. His appreciative hum made her smile. "I wanted to tell you something," she whispered into his neck. "I wouldn't have said no."

"Said no to what?" He asked as he brought a hand to run his fingers through her hair. She stopped herself from getting distracted as an involuntary moan of appreciation escaped her throat.

"In Camelot, by the well." She reminded him. "I wouldn't have said no." He didn't respond right away, but continued to play with her hair.

"Duly noted," he murmured and kissed the crown of her head. "If you don't mind my asking, why tell me now?"

"For future reference. A really smart guy told me once that I should live my life between the crises that is my life." She could feel him chuckle at that. "I'm always going to be the Savior. There's always going to be the next villain. And i realized something while in the Underworld."

"And what's that?"

"I don't want a Happy Ending." He froze and pulled away to look down at her. The concern is his eyes turned to confusion when he met her smile. "I want a Happily Ever After. Endings are sad and bittersweet. I don't want to think about this ever coming to an end. Not until we're old, wrinkly, and telling our stories 50 years from now. Does that make sense?"

He nodded and pulled her back close, cradling her head to his chest. "That sounds bloody perfect."

How long they stayed like that, swaying to the beat of his heart, she couldn't say. She just knew the moment was perfect and she never wanted it to end. Whatever villain came next, no matter the crises that popped up, she knew they would face it. Together.


	7. Boundless

_**This was borne from my brother, I asked him for a word to create a drabble from, he gave me boundless, I gave him 300+ words of cuteness. He approved, I posted.**_

* * *

 _ **Boundless**_

Killian collapsed onto the couch, his legs no longer able to hold him upright. With a groan of exhaustion, he extended his legs over the arms of the couch and threw his hooked arm over his eyes. His focus on relaxing was disrupted when he heard an amused giggle down by his feet.

"I fail to see what is so funny, Swan." He opened one eye and glared at her. That only seemed to enhance her amusement as she wordlessly pulled off his boots. After walking to the door to place the shoes where they belong, she sat on the arm of the couch and settled his feet in her lap. When she started to rub the soles of his feet, the moan of appreciation was borderline obscene. "You have no idea how wonderful that feels."

"Oh I do," she hummed. "Now, what happened?"

"Bloody monsters they are! All of them! And their **boundless** amounts of energy. I swear the little buggers found a way to siphon the energy from me. I believe I'm too exhausted to even sleep!" He complained. "Truly, it's a wonder one of them didn't fall off the ship. Young Master Philip took a liking to the rigging and top of the main sail! Do you know how hard it is to climb down from a mast with one hand and a wiggling 3 year old?"

"Poor baby, the brave and fearless Captain Hook finally outsmarted by a bunch of toddlers." She couldn't help but laugh at the pout he gave her. "I was going to offer to kiss all the aches and pains better, but if you're too tired…"

"Now, now Swan, let's not be too hasty." Mustering the energy from somewhere, he stood up and pulled her to her feet. Her laughter only egged him on. "I might be over 300, but I'm not dead yet, and I have lots of - ah -aches that need attending."


	8. Letters From a Travelin Soldier

_When this au idea hit me, I cried (not a good idea at the time, I was driving 75 mph down the interstate) from there it snowballed into this over 6000 words of pain? My only goal with this was to make my sister cry, which I accomplished. She made me promise the next one would be sickly sweet. Until then... Listen to Travelin Soldier and Letters From War._

* * *

She watched him out of the corner of her eye while he sat by himself in the corner booth. Reserved and quiet, he seemed sad, not ordering anything but coffee. Her heart ached for him. Dressed in green fatigues, he seemed all alone as he just stared out the window of the diner. Emma just wanted to see him smile, even for just a fraction of a moment. She wanted to be a tiny light in his gloomy world. Finishing off her braid with a blue ribbon, she made a split second decision and portioned out a slice of Granny's blueberry cheesecake.

If you asked her later, she would not be able to tell you what possessed her that day, she just knew that she had to help this poor guy. As she set the plate in front of him, it startled him out of his brooding. She fought back a smile as his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"I did- I didn't order anything…" he stammered quietly. _He has an accent._

"I know." She smirked. "But this always makes me happier, and you looked like you could use a pick me up." When he looked up at her, she was blown away by the startling blue of his eyes. As striking as they were, they held a sadness, like someone who had lost everything that ever mattered. Her heart ached for him. She shook herself out of it and stammered, "I'm sorry if I over stepped. I just thought you could use a smile."

"Aye, thank you miss-" he paused, waiting for her to give her name.

"Emma, Emma Nolan." She answered. The smile he gave her lit up his face. He looked so much younger when he smiled. Less serious. It warmed her heart that she succeeded in making him smile.

"Emma, beautiful name for a beautiful lass." She shook her head with a smile at his attempt to flirt with her. He held out his hand, "I'm Killian by the way."

"Pleasure to meet you." She shook his hand. When his hand lingered on hers, she felt butterflies in her stomach. There was something about him, Emma wasn't sure what it was, but she felt drawn to him. "Is there anything else I can get for you?" She tried to hide the breathlessness in her voice.

"Would you just sit with me? I just… I don't want to be alone and I have no one else in this bloody town to talk to." He released her hand then, but she could still feel his skin against hers.

"My shift is almost done. Give me a few minutes and we can get out of here." He smiled up at her as she turned away to go tell Granny she was leaving early. It was a slow day, she wasn't needed anyway. If nothing else, she would always just pout at her to get her way. Being Granny's goddaughter had its' perks at times.

As usual, Granny was in the kitchen, half covered in flour.

"Hey Granny, would it be alright if I left a little early today?" Emma asked as she poked her head in the door. Instead of a smile, she was met by a scowl and a threatening rolling pin.

"Emma Ruth Nolan, what do you think you are doing?" Emma's head snapped back like she was slapped. "Don't you go be leading that boy on. Young Mr Jones has had a rough go of it lately, and since he's here in his army greens, I'm guessing he ships out soon. The poor boy, he only just turned 18 last week. And you being only 16, think of the scandal."

Emma was stunned. She wasn't planning on running away and marrying the guy. She just wanted to be nice to him. "Granny, he just needs a friend. Someone to listen to him." Granny glared at her over her glasses in disbelief. Emma just laughed while she walked to Granny's side. "Besides, I'm only 6 months younger than my mother was when she met Father and ran away to get married. 20 years later and they're still together."

Granny shook her rolling pin at her again. "Just you be careful. The last girl I took care of that met an Army boy ended up married to him, and gave me an insufferable girl for a goddaughter. Killian's a good boy."

"I love you too Granny," Emma smiled and gave Granny a kiss on her cheek. With a bounce in her step, she took off her apron and walked back out by Killian. The cheesecake was gone, and he seemed surprised she had returned. "Come on, I know a place we can go."

They ended up on the lighthouse pier staring out over the lake. She was curled into his side for warmth as their feet dangled off the side of the concrete slab into the chilly water. They talked about everything, and nothing. She learned of his older brother, his only family left, and how they came to live in the states as opposed to Britain. Liam was currently deployed somewhere in the atlantic, and communication had been scarce. In turn she told him of her little brother, the nuisance that he was, and how he always tried to rip the ribbons from her hair.

"I think you have beautiful hair, Miss Nolan." He murmured as he carefully tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She smiled and pulled the braid over her shoulder. Without hesitation, she pulled the ribbon out and handed it to him.

She laughed at the confused look on his face. Slightly embarrassed, she fiddled with her the ends of her hair, freeing it from the now loose braid. "For good luck, so you come home."

"I-" his voice left him. She knew that no one had shown him such kindness other than his brother. He took care and tucked the ribbon into his pocket for safekeeping. When he turned back to her, his eyes were soft with some emotion she couldn't place. Was afraid to. _It's too soon for that, but why does it feel so right?_ Slowly he reached out to cup her cheek, and even slower he leaned in. She knew he meant to kiss her, and she wanted him to. If he had to leave in the morning, she wanted him to have this one thing. A perfect memory to hold on to.

"There you are Jones!" Sighing in defeat Killian rested his forehead against hers. Another boy stood a few yards away with a triumphant smile on his face. "You are seriously hard to track down, you know." Emma raised an eyebrow as she pulled back to look around Killian's shoulder. The boy's eyes went wide with surprise. "Bloody hell Jones, you could have told me I was interrupting something."

"Story of my life." Killian leaned in to whisper at her, his lips ghosting over her the shell of her ear. The barely there touch of his lips set her skin on fire. With a sigh of regret, Killian pushed to his feet before offering his hands to help Emma up. She let him help her, then lingered closer to him than was proper. _It's a chilly night, and he is warm_ , she justified to herself. "Seeing as you interrupted our quiet moment, what can we do for you, Humbert?"

She could see the other guy shuffle his feet, whatever he came to say, it wasn't pleasant. "Our departure time was moved up. We're leaving in an hour instead of tomorrow morning. We need to go."

"Damn," Killian hung his head, but Emma took hold of his hand and squeezed reassuringly.

"It's ok. You need to go-"

"I have every intention on walking you home Miss Nolan. It wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me to allow you to walk home past sunset alone." Emma rolled her eyes at him, but still linked her arm into his.

"You know I'm capable of taking care of myself, right?"

"Oh I have no doubt. I would expect nothing less from the daughter of our town's sheriff. However, just because you CAN take care of yourself, doesn't mean you should have to." Emma fought back a smile. "Will you do me the honor of escorting you home?"

She nodded and they began to walk away, when she realized their other companion wasn't following, she paused. "What about your friend?"

"He's no friend," Killian grumbled under his breath causing Emma to laugh. Killain believed it to be one of the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard. "He's going to grab my stuff for me and meet me at the bus stop so I have enough time to walk you home. Isn't that right mate?"

Nodding his head that was more like a head roll, his friend agreed and left them alone. Tucking Emma into his side, they walked together in comfortable silence until her door. She only lived a few blocks away from the lighthouse, so the journey did not take long. Once outside her house, she was loathe to let him go.

"So… I guess this is it."

"Aye, so it is." He turned to look at her, and she was pleased to see that the melancholy that was in his eyes when they met earlier was replaced by another emotion. Hope. "Can I write to you?"

She smiled and nodded. "I think you had better."

"Will you write back?" The uncertainty in his voice caused Emma's heart to break for him. This poor boy had been left so alone, that his only comfort was to ask if he could write letters to a stranger. _We're not really strangers, not anymore._

"Of course I will Mr. Jones." He smiled the bright smile again, the one that made him look young and carefree. Holding her hand, he brought it up and placed a gentle kiss to her knuckles. It took her breath away. She had no idea how this boy, man, affected her so much. "Are you not going to give me a real kiss Mr. Jones?' She asked, pleased that her voice somehow remained steady.

"No, I'm not." he placed his finger over her mouth to cut off her protest. "I want to save it. To have something to look forward to. Something to come home to." His voice was soft, as if trying to hide the danger that he was about to face. Emma wasn't a fool. She knew where he was going. The hell he was walking into. She was scared for him, but proud as well. Without over thinking, she wrapped her arms around his torso and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Promise me, you'll come home?" she muttered into his shoulder. The sudden need to fight off tears overwhelmed her. She had really only just met this man, but she felt such a strong connection. She already felt his loss.

"Aye, I will do my best to return to you, Miss Nolan. There's not a day that will go bye that I won't think of you."

"Good."

* * *

 _June 13th, 1972_

 _Miss Nolan,_

 _So we have arrived over here. It's pretty boring so far. A lot of mud, a lot of dirt. I feel like I need to take a two hour shower._

 _Mostly, we're just sitting around playing cards. It's very humid here, like some kind of tropical jungle, which I know is ridiculous. Alas, it is better to be sweltered in the heat in full gear than not be prepared for a firefight._

 _I told my brother about you. He thinks I made you up. As if that were even possible. Not even in my most alluring fantasies could I have dreamt up a woman as beautiful as you._

 _However, would it be too forward of me to ask for a portrait? Not that I would be sharing it with the men here. That would be wildly inappropriate and bad form. Something concrete to remind myself that you are real. Although, your letters are enough. I wouldn't receive a letter back if you were not real._

 _I am rambling._

 _I hope this letter finds you healthy and happy, until next time._

 _Killian Jones._

* * *

 _June 20, 1972_

 _Dearest Emma_

 _As I told you, Humbert is no real friend. First, he interrupted our quiet moment, now the stubborn arse is trying to blow us up. Bloody fool. What idiot put HIM in charge of grenades? I think your ribbon saved my life. Not sure why yet, but I decided to wear it around my wrist today._

 _I'm always going to wear it now. it might be silly and superstitious, but you kept me alive today._

 _Eternally Grateful, Killian_

* * *

 _June 23, 1972_

 _Mr Jones,_

 _I hope this letter finds you still in one piece. I truly hope they are treating you ok over there._

 _I told you the ribbon would keep you safe. It really is a good luck charm._

 _The diner has been busy, it's been hard to find time this summer for any sort of fun activities. Time in the sun or spent at the beach is hard to come by. Granny is a slave driver. Did you know she threatened me with a rolling pin the day we met!? Called me by my full name and everything, all because she thought I might be getting in over my head by talking with you._

 _(Apparently it is scandalous that you are 18 and I only 16, who knew right?)_

 _She cares for you, how do you know her? And how is it that we had never met before that day._

 _Sincerely, Emma Nolan_

 _PS, I have enclosed three portraits. One that you can send to your brother to prove that I am in fact real, one that is appropriate you can share with the boys, and the other was taken at the beach by my friend Ruby. I was not aware that she had a camera. I hope you like it._

* * *

 _July 9, 1972_

 _Miss Nolan_

 _I was in fact scandalized by your photos. Very forward of you to send a picture of yourself in your bathing suit to a stranger. You are however, exceedingly beautiful, and I will NOT share your portraits with 'the boys'. They have done nothing to deserve the beauty of your face. (Although I did indeed send one to my brother, he was shocked that I knew a girl at all, let alone had a picture of one that was real. That does not sound right.)_

 _I met Granny, very shortly after Liam, the rotten git I call my brother, was deployed the first time. When he was out of town for six to nine months at a time, she was the one that made sure I stayed fed, and got my lazy arse out of bed for school. I owe her much. More now i guess, seeing as she inadvertently brought you into my life._

 _What do you do for fun? Besides working at the diner and writing to a stranger half a world away?_

 _Affectionately, Killian_

* * *

 _July 22, 1972_

 _I don't know about beautiful. I've always felt more out of place. I identify more with the ugly duckling than anything. I don't really belong anywhere except… ok you have to promise not to laugh…_

 _I'm in Marching band. I play the piccolo, which is like a half sized flute and able to reach higher notes._

 _I told you not to laugh. I can practically HEAR you from thousands of miles away. Go ahead and shout it to the world_

 _EMMA NOLAN IS A BAND GEEK!_

 _I'm going to go bury my head in the sand now._

 _Emma aka GEEK_

* * *

 _August 2, 1972_

 _I think you forget that the ugly duckling wasn't even a duckling at all. It was a Swan. Beautiful and graceful. Full of light and poise, fierce compassion. That's what I'm going to call you. You are now my Swan. Because you are beautiful beyond compare. And I would love nothing more than to call you mine._

 _You are always on my mind love, I think about that night all the time. Sitting in the moonlight, I wonder what might have happened if Graham (that's Humbert's first name by the way) hadn't interrupted us. The ghost of our almost kiss haunts me. I know, I know. I missed the opportunity to rectify that. It haunts me. I regret not kissing you, I yearn to know what your lips feel like. It's the most perfect torture._

 _And the best motivation to come home soon. I will not let another opportunity to kiss you pass me bye._

 _Life is made up of tiny moments, good and bad ones. And you need both. If you don't have bad ones, you can never appreciate the good ones._

 _Meeting you, your letters, falling in love with you. You are my good moment. I just wanted you to know that._

 _It's only been 2 and a half months over here, but it already feels like forever._

 _There have been reports of enemy activity nearby, things might get hazy and I don't know when I'll be able to send another letter._

 _Forever yours, Killian_

* * *

 _August 4, 1972_

 _Emma,_

 _I have just realized my biggest blunder. I never asked you if you had someone in your life. I am forever sorry for this oversight. Do you have a beau? If you do, I am so sorry for writing and pushing and… well, just know that I am sorry if I put you in an awkward position. Feel free to just forget about me. I won't expect anything from you. You have given me far more than I ever deserved._

 _If you are not seeing anyone, I must ask, what is wrong with the male species in that small town? How can they not want to be with you? You are exquisite._

 _Forgive my rambling._

 _Killian_

* * *

 _August 23, 1972_

 _Dear old fashioned nerd_

 _Who uses the term_ _ **beau**_ _anymore? Could you possibly be anymore British? I am not complaining, I find it cute and endearing._

 _No, I am not seeing anyone. Not there hasn't been interest, I just never felt a pull to any of them. I do feel pulled to you. I don't really believe in destiny or fate, but I do believe something brought you to me. Something somewhere put us on a collision course to meet._

 _I blame Granny. That woman, for all her moaning and grumping, is a matchmaker at heart. Are you sure she didn't invite you in that day? Something nefarious is underfoot!_

 _Emma_

* * *

 _September 5, 1972_

 _Killian,_

 _I received your letters out of order. I hope everything is ok._

 _You're my good moment too_

 _School started up again today. It's pretty boring. At least I'm a SENIOR this year. Did I tell you that I'm actually ahead a year in school? Yep that's me. Geek extraordinaire Emma Nolan._

 _I actually love the nickname you have bestowed upon me. You are the only one, besides my parents, that seem to think I have anything in the way of beauty to offer. And I know that beauty isn't everything, but all girls like to feel pretty every once in awhile. And you, Killian you make me feel beautiful and cherished. Like I'm some kind of treasure that you want to hoard away (see previous letter about not sharing my portrait with the other guys)._

 _Wait, if I'm your treasure, does that make you a pirate?! That would be exciting. Although you did say it was your brother that was in the Navy, maybe he is the pirate. Are you then trying to protect my innocence?_

 _Food for thought._

 _Stay safe, write when you can._

 _Your Swan_

* * *

 _October 23, 1972_

 _Today I am officially 17. It's bittersweet. How do I tell my family and friends that all I want for my birthday is for you to walk in the door of the diner? I would even settle for a letter. I know you said it would be a while, but I miss you. I know, I know, you're off saving the world. And I am so proud of you._

 _You are MY hero._

 _That first day, night, I know you felt it too. The connection between us. I've never really believed in love at first sight (though my parents are a little maniacal about it. Just because they married each other a week after meeting doesn't mean the rest of us are that crazy) but you, I don't know if it's love, or what, I just know that the thought of never seeing you again, never hearing your voice, (never getting my darn kiss) it makes me sick to my stomach. You're always on my mind._

 _Please write soon, be safe my darling_

 _Forever your Swan_

* * *

 _December 18,1972_

 _You will never guess who I met at Granny's today. Never! Want a hint? He has your eyes….._

 _Your brother is here. Apparently there was some kind of accident on his ship with the rigging and he ended with a grade 3 torn calf muscle. He's ok. Which you probably know, you probably were informed when the accident happened. But I just wanted to let you know that he is home, and safe, and MOTHER HENNING ME! Good lord what did you tell him? That man has it in his head that he needs to protect my virtue or something._

 _Ok so here's the story, Liam came to meet me at the diner and some boys were being rowdy, trying to flirt inappropriately with me. Liam warned them off, but they didn't take his threat seriously (he's walking with a cane for goodness sake!). Well needless to say, when they wouldn't back off, I cold cocked the leader and laid him out flat in the middle of the diner._

 _I still don't know if Liam was impressed that I laid the ass out, or horrified that I came to his defense. I'm going to lean towards he was impressed. Yes, that is what I am going to do._

 _Did you know that swans mate for life, and i heard that they can actually die of a broken heart if their mate passes on? I'm not sure if the second part is true, but I know the first is._

 _Please write soon, even if it's just a postcard. I need to know you're ok._

 _Stay safe_

 _Emma_

 _PS. Merry Christmas, or well Happy Christmas as you weird Brits call it._

* * *

 _February 14, 1973_

 _It's been five months since your last letter. I'm starting to get worried. Liam says that you aren't dead, but you haven't written him either. Did I do something wrong? Are you in some kind of trouble? There are so many theories that go through my head. I just wish that I could hear your voice, and know you're ok. Liam tells me to be patient, that no news is good news, and that you're probably just in a hot area. But how could that be good news?_

 _I can't help this feeling of being lost. Of helplessness. I just want to know you're safe._

 _Don't be mad, but Liam showed me some of your childhood pictures. Floofy hair and all. I loved it. I kept one for myself, one of the pictures from your senior year of school. I thought it only fair, you have a portrait of me. Keeping the status quo and all._

 _I want nothing more than to bury my hands in your hair and have you kiss me senseless._

 _Is that too forward of me?_

 _Stay safe, come home soon._

 _Your love, Swan_

* * *

 _April 22,1973_

 _I AM SO MAD! HOW DARE THEY! HOW DARE THEY TELL ME THAT I'M BEING RIDICULOUS AND WASTING MY LIFE WAITING FOR YOU. I WILL WAIT FOR YOU IF I WANT TO! IT IS MY LIFE._

 _This boy did not take rejection well, he wanted me to go to prom with him. When I told him no, he called me a stupid vain girl that no one will ever want and I was stupid for waiting for a man to return that had clearly lost interest. He said that I should feel privileged that he paid any attention to me at all. What an ass right? Why do men feel entitled to women? It's not like they have a right to our bodies. They can't just force us to do something and say it's ok because he's a guy. If I can keep my hormones in check once a month, he can surely figure out which head to think with right? That's not asking too much is it? Are all men besides you and your brother such pigs?_

 _Ok, I think I shared too much again, I'm going to bury my head in the sand again._

 _Stay safe_

 _Love Always, Emma_

* * *

 _May 30, 1973_

 _I graduate in a couple days, with honors. I'm the first female salutatorian this school has had. It is a pretty big deal. I have to give a speech. Liam's coming. He says that he is proud of me, and that you are too._

 _I start college in the fall. Just the local one here. My goal is to be a teacher. I want to inspire the next generation to do great things!_

 _Besides, I can't be too far from Liam. Lord knows that man can't take care of himself. How on Earth was he ever Captain of his own ship. That man would forget to eat if I didn't remind him._

 _I think he is just upset that yo_

Emma looked up from her letter, the knock on the door was unexpected. It was late in the evening and most of the town was calling it an early night for graduation festivities in few days. Her mother quickly walked from the kitchen to answer door. There was a sound of surprise and an eerie sense of foreboding filled her. Cautiously, Emma unfolded her legs from under her and stood. When her mother came into the living room, her sense of dread intensified.

"The door is for you." Her mother said simply. Taking a breath, Emma walked to the door and opened it.

"Liam, what are you doing here?" Her breath left her. He was in full Naval dress with a manilla colored envelope. She looked him over. He was sharp and precise, there was no ease in his posture. When she met his eyes, she could tell that they were red rimmed. "Liam?" she choked out, there was only one reason he would show up on her doorstep in full dress.

Suddenly there was no air and the world fell out from under her.

"Emma…" she held up a hand to cut him off and shook her head violently.

"NO, no, nononononono, this isn't real, this can't be happening," she denied. When her knees buckled under her, Liam caught her in his arms and held her up as she sobbed.

"They don't know where he is. This report just got to me, it is three weeks old. There was some sort of mine that went off. Some people survived. Others are still unaccounted for. Killian is one that they couldn't find a body." Liam explained. It only made Emma sob harder. This was her worst fear come to life. "He could still be alive, we just don't know enough."

"A land mine? What are the chances there was nothing left for them to find?" At Liam's silence, she had her answer. Emma didn't know how long she cried. It felt like mere moments, but also felt like hours. She cried until it felt like there were no tears left in her body, and even then, they still streamed down her cheeks. Liam held her the whole time. Smoothing her hair and whispering calming nothings to her. When the tears finally subsided, Emma didn't know what to feel, she just felt numb.

To her credit, her mother didn't say much, but she did make some of her specialty hot chocolate as a comfort. Liam accepted a mug and was surprised by the sprinkle of cinnamon. "This is how Killian liked his hot chocolate." His voice barely above a whisper. Not being able to tolerate hearing Killian being referred to in past tense, she stood and made her way for the stairs.

"Where are you going?" her mother asked gently, holding her hand on the banister.

"To bed, I have a speech to plan, and another final before graduation." Emma refused to look at her mother and see the pity in her eyes.

"Emma, darling, I think that you should be allowed to grieve, no one will blame you if you skip the final tomorrow. It won't affect your GPA." She appreciated her mother's kindness, but shook her head.

"No, life still needs to go on. If he's really gone, he wouldn't want me to fall into despair. He would want me to live. For both of us. And that is what I intend to do." Squeezing her mother's hand in reassurance she took a few steps. "I'm not saying I won't fall apart, because I know I will, I'm just going to do my best to put on a brave face. I owe him that. Good night."

She didn't wait to hear her reply and moved , she did hear her mother offer their spare bedroom to Liam, so he didn't have to be alone. What his answer was, she had no idea. Locking herself in her room she sat by her vanity and to stare in the mirror. This wasn't supposed to be like this. He wasn't supposed to leave her forever. He had promised. _Hadn't he?_

With shaking hands she took the picture she had pilfered from Liam out of the corner of her mirror. It was a copy of one of Killian's senior year pictures. Before he cut his hair for the service. She really did love how fluffy it looked. He looked so young and carefree.

Holding the picture to her chest, she walked to her bed, laid down, and cried herself to sleep.

June 3, 1973

Emma took a deep breath and stood behind the podium. The sea of faces looking at her was almost overwhelming. It was like they were judging her. Trying to find fault in the fact that she stood up here, defiantly in the face of the tragic news she received. Word had spread fast, and many had stepped forward to offer condolences. She just nodded in acceptance, not wanting to speak about it. Talking about it made it real.

Standing before all her classmates the illusion shattered, and ask she could do was breath. She could do this, _for him._

After a breath, she began.

"The one thing we cannot escape, is that life happens. Everyday, all day. Life happens while we sit around and wait for our lives to begin. How many of us have sat around, and just wished we could be anywhere but where we were, instead of appreciating what we have? How many, missed moments of happiness, slipped through our fingers because the circumstances weren't perfect? As we sit here, now today, about to begin the next phase of our lives I would like to challenge you. Challenge all of you. To not just wait until the right moment to seize an opportunity. Make the opportunity. Go out there and _live_ your lives.

"Someone very near and dear to my heart once told me that life is made up of moments, good ones," she paused to catch her breath, "and bad ones. But they are all worth living. The good moments mean nothing if you don't have the bad ones to compare them with. Cherish the good moments. Seize your opportunities. Live your lives. Be happy. Life is too short, too short and too precious to be anything but happy." Emma paused when she heard a throaty brewing gently cleared next to her. Looking over, she saw their principal holding some papers and gesturing dirt her to continue. "My point, is to find the moments, live for the good moments. Cherish them, because they are what really matters. Now, I think Ms Mills wants the chance to lecture us one last time."

Emma handed the podium over to as the students chuckled and made to return to her seat.

"Thank you Miss Nolan, sadly, I have no lectures prepared for today. However, your speech was truly heartfelt and inspiring. We know of the loss you have recently suffered and we commend your ability to stand up here today and speak with a wisdom beyond your years." Emma nodded her head in thanks. And sat down. "It is on that note that I would like you all to take a moment of silence for one of our own listed as killed in action a few weeks ago." The field quieted and Emma could hear the rush of her heart, her breath quickened. A few soldiers, in full military dress walked into the field. _They're from the Army._

Once the world finished it's half spin, she was on her feet and running. She didn't want anyone to see her like this.

Taking solace under the bleachers, she started to sob and the somber sound of Taps played from the trumpets. A few soldiers were on the field, and as the first shots of the 21 gun salute rang out, her body convulsed. Crashing to her knees she sobbed. The second shot fired causing her to jump. The sobs continued. She knew she was stronger than this. She could get through this. One moment at a time.

As the last shot rang out, she could hear Ms Mills announce the name of the fallen soldier. "Graham Humbert was a bright young man, who died protecting a friend from a rogue grenade. May his memory live on in our hearts. May we always appreciate what he sacrificed to protect not just his friends, but all of us."

 _She didn't announce Killian… It wasn't Killian…._

"Hello my Swan," her head flew up in disbelief. But there he was. In army dress blues with his cap tucked under his arm and a captain's insignia on his uniform. His hair had grown out a little, not quite to floof level she wanted to tease him for, but long enough to grab. Missing a hand, and a scar on his cheek, but otherwise, he was there.

Standing, she took a step forward, afraid if she touched him, he wouldn't be real. Sensing her hesitation, he reached out and gently touched her cheek. In an instant she melted against him. He was solid, and real, and safe, and home. Wrapping his arms around her to pull her close, he placed a gentle kiss on the crown of her head. "Do I get my kiss now?" Without a thought she pulled back and slapped him. There wasn't much force behind it, and she immediately melted back into his chest, but she got her point across. "I guess I deserved that." He chuckled. She nodded without saying a word. Just held him close.

"I don't want to know right now, but will you tell me why later?" she mumbled into his chest.

"Of course, my love, I will tell you everything you want to know. But right now I have three things I need to accomplish. The first is to find my brother and let him know I'm alive. Damn git wasn't home when I got in this morning."

"He spent the last few days at my place, my parents didn't want him alone. We received a letter 3 days ago saying you were MIA." Killian gave her a confused look.

"I was never MIA! I was in the bloody army hospital on site. What a bunch of bloody-" Emma cut off his tirade by placing his her finger over his lips. His eyes softened as he looked down at her.

"Two?" she prompted.

He smiled. "I wanted to tell you I got every single letter. I've read them all several times, and I will never be able to apologize to you enough for not being allowed to answer back."

"And three?"

"Something I should have done _long_ ago." She smiled as he leaned down and captured her lips. Everything that was wrong suddenly righted itself in her world. The heartache, the fear, despair, doubt, all of it melted away with the feeling of rightness that took their place as his lips moved against hers. There was time for all the details later, but right now, he was home, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

 _If you made it to the end, I'm sorry for the abundance of feels (not really but you know) I toyed with the idea of having Killian in the Navy, but then it wouldn't have been as plausible to have him stationed on land. My father is a Vietnam vet and I did ask him about the plausibility of someone being listed as MIA who wasn't really, and he said it did happen. Also a captain in the army is the equivalent of a lieutenant in the navy, just an FYI._

 _Also that letters took FOREVER! My father tells me stories all the time from his navy days, and one was of how my grandmother wrote him a letter and he didn't get it until a YEAR later! That is insane!_

 _For those that worry about my sister, she will forgive me... eventually, she was halfway through and yelled at me saying "If you kill him I will never trust you again!" ...I am currently grounded (I am the older sister btw)_

 _Until next time my loves! xoxox_


	9. How Did It Go Wrong

_You guys are amazing! Thanks so much for all your reviews! They mean the world to me._

 _The episode last night broke my heart._

 _This is for the guest reviewer that requested Sam Hunt's Break Up in a Small Town. My sister fangirled harder than I ever could and told me I gotta make it happen (same sister that threatened my life btw and I am still grounded)_

 _If y'all have any suggestions or requests, don't hesitate to drop me a line here, or on tumblr. My tumblr name is also princesslillyan._

* * *

 _ **Day 1**_

"I don't know mate, she just left last night, yelled something about not being able to play pretend with me anymore and left." Killian sighed into his phone.

"That doesn't sound like her. She was head over heels for you. Are you sure she didn't just need some time? You guys kinda went from 0-100 pretty quick like." David answered into the phone, his voice letting on that he was just as confused.

"I don't know. I just know, that I love her. I can't imagine life without her."

"Did you ever tell her that?"

"I didn't want to scare her. I know how she works. Any declaration like that would have her running scared. I know that she is guarded after Neal."

"Do you want me to talk to her?"

Killian pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. "No, whatever it is. She and I will figure it out."

 _ **Day 3**_

Killian returned home from work and just knew that something was off. The weird vibe he had had all day intensified when he walked in the door. His heart sank.

The apartment was clean, and on the counter was her key. He knew without having to check that all her stuff was gone. It was his house, but they had spent most of their time there because it was right outside the city limits. She liked the quiet. It gave her peace of mind. Being the town sheriff was stressful and the quiet helped her unwind.

Shrugging out of his jacket, he threw it towards the coat rack, not caring that it landed on the floor. With a sigh, he grabbed the bottle of rum he kept in the cabinet.

 _ **Day 8**_

No text.

No phone calls.

It was like she had fallen off the face of the Earth. David had come around to check on him. Apparently a 5 day drinking bender was not healthy, and the love of your life walking out on you for no apparent reason was _not_ a good enough reason to not show up for work. Even if he was the boss.

A cold bucket of ice water, a couple threats of death if it ever happened again, a shower, and a meal that didn't involve alcohol later and Killian was on his way to work.

A cruel twist of fate, he was stopped at the only lights in town and she was stopped across from him. His world stopped as their eyes connected across the road. They were blank. Nothing. His gut twisted at the lack of emotion. _Her eyes were always so expressive. Is this my fault_?

When she turned her head, finally breaking eye contact, he noticed the passenger in her vehicle. _She was with Him._ His gut wrenched more when she laughed at whatever he had said.

When the light turned green, it took every bit of willpower he had to keep heading to work, instead of the nearest bar.

 _ **Day 12**_

"What do you mean you saw them together?" David demanded.

"I'm telling you mate, that day you gave me an ice water bath, I saw him in the car with her. And I keep seeing them all over town together. It's like the universe is mocking me."

"I didn't even know he was back in town? Why would she do that, after everything that happened?"

"She's your sister. How about you tell me?"

"This doesn't make any sense! Do you want me to talk to her now?"

"Someone probably should, she won't even acknowledge I exist."

 _ **Day 21**_

He saw them holding hands coming out of the diner. He caught them one night leaving the bar together. One time, He was carrying to go bags, bringing her lunch at the station. Then there was tonight, her car was outside a small house, one that Killian knew was owned by _his_ father.

13 days of sobriety ended that night.

 _ **Day 22**_

When the sunlight hit him that following morning, he groaned. Two bottles of Bacardi 151, one empty and the other was three quarters gone, he was surprised he even woke up. His house was in complete disarray. Broken picture frames, smashed glasses. He didn't remember anything past the first drink. Slowly he ran his fingers through his hair. A glint of refracted light caught his attention.

In front of him, on the coffee table, was the ring he bought. She hadn't known. He had kept it hidden in the top shelf of the pantry. The weight on his chest overwhelmed him as he picked up the box and returned it to its hiding space. Taking a swig of what was left of his rum, he shot off a quick text to David, explaining not to expect him at work. With another groan, he found the broom and began cleaning up the disaster he created. Silently vowing to not drink alone anymore.

 _ **Day 26**_

Mary Margaret looked at him with sad eyes. The pity in them was almost as painful as her leaving. David had invited him over for dinner, in essence, to get him out of his little house. Not wanting him to do something stupid while he was alone. _Like drink the entire liquor store dry._ They didn't talk about it, hoping to spare his feelings, but he knew. _He knew._

He wasn't good enough.

He never had been.

And he never would be.

He hadn't been good enough for his father to stay. The bastard had run off in the middle of the night, leaving Killian and his brother to fend for themselves in the world.

Not good enough for the love he knew he didn't deserve to stay. Instead she had gone back to her shady ex. For reasons unknown.

He just wasn't enough.

 _ **Day 37**_

"I need to leave."

David snapped his head sideways to look at him, but Killian just calmly took a sip of his beer. "What do you mean, _leave_? To where, for how long?"

"I'm going to go spend some time with my brother. To clear my head. I can't be here. I can't think straight." After a sip of his beer he gave David a crooked smile. "And all this alcohol is not good for my liver."

"Please, you have not been concerned about your liver since college."

Killian tilted his head in acknowledgement. The smile fell from his face when the door to the rabbit hole jingled and she walked in. She was breathtaking in beauty. Her hair cascaded down her back in soft waves, the black leather dress, tights and stilettos. Killian held his breath when He walked in behind her.

There was a slight hitch in her breath when she saw him. Only visible if you were looking. When He wrapped his arms around her, she was all smiles again and wrapped up in his smile, ignoring Killian's existence.

"I need to go."

 _ **Day 42**_

It was fitting that the day he left, it was pouring rain. It had taken a few days to square away things at work, to make sure that operations would still go on without him. He had just packed a duffle bag and filled his tank with gas and headed out. No pomp and circumstance. Just a promise of a text to david letting him know he arrived at his brothers.

Half an hour outside town, he wasn't really paying attention to the road anymore. Zoning out to the rhythm of the highway, he was jerked to alertness when a yellow vehicle flew passed him before slamming on their brakes. Cursing, he yanked the wheel to the side and also hit the brakes to avoid colliding with her. When his vehicle finally skidded to a stop he jumped out of the truck.

"Emma Swan! Are you out of your bloody mind!? What the hell were you thinking!?" She got out of her car and looked at him. The cold rain pouring down, he knew she must be freezing. Clad only in a tank top and cut off jeans he shook his head at her. "You completely ignore me for 6 weeks, refuse to return any calls. Don't even give me a bloody explanation as to what I did wrong! And then I have to see you parading around town with _him_. Why Emma? You at least owe me that!" Once he started to yell, he couldn't stop. The weeks of silence and frustration finally exploding out of him. With no warning, she launched herself at him, running straight into his arms. The force that she ran into him with almost knocked him to the ground.

The rain was thunderous and all he could make out was her sobbed 'don't go, please don't leave me'. With her finally back in his arms, all his anger melted away. This was right. Being together was right, and there was nothing to make him believe otherwise. After what felt like forever, he pulled away and held her face in his hands, making her look at him. "Just tell me why?"

"Two months ago, the FBI called, he ended up on their wanted list, he got himself in a lot of trouble, but all the evidence was circumstantial. They asked me if I could get close to him and get some kind of confession out of him. I agreed, but they wouldn't let me tell anyone, on the off chance it tipped him or his father off." He could feel the truth emanating from her. "I'm so sorry, so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. Just please don't go."

"If you're here, won't that tip them off?"

"He was arrested an hour ago. I went to your place right away but you were gone." She looked down at to where her hand came to rest on his chest. "David told me where you were going, and I had to try to catch you. Can you forgive me?"

He searched her eyes for what seemed like forever. Open and honest, he knew every word she said was true. He could see the hope that she had because he hadn't immediately dismissed her, but also the understanding if he said no. "I want to be mad at you." He saw her inhale slowly and look down in resignation. Gently he lifted her chin so she would look at him. "The truth is, that I care just too damn much." The light filled her eyes moments before she jumped into his arms. Her legs wrapped around him and kissed him for all she was worth.

He groaned when she rolled her hips into him, grinding down as all his blood rushed south. His one hand squeezed her ass while the other snaked under her shirt to press her closer to him. Wanting some measure of leverage, he turned them slightly and pressed her against the side of his truck. She broke of their kiss with a squeak when the cold metal of the vehicle came in contact with the exposed skin of her back.

"I love you," she murmured against his lips. "I love you, and I'm so sorry it took me so long to say it."

"Don't apologize, love." With a smile, she kissed the tip of his nose, before starting to giggle. "What could possible be so funny right now?" To emphasize his point, he rolled his hips deeper into the cradle of her thighs. It didn't stop her giggle, but he was satisfied that she closed her eyes to relish the feel of him against her.

"This is so cliche. Kissing in the rain. A dramatic attempt to stop a loved one from leaving. Declarations of love," She tilted her head to look at him. "It's like a ridiculous scene from a Nicholas Sparks book _,_ or the subject of a Taylor Swift song."

"Aye, that it is, but you love it." He leaned up and gently kissed her again, but pulled away before she could deepen it. "Is that what you want? A love for the ages, that they'll write epic poems and sonnets about?"

"Is this you proposing? Because it kinda feels like that? Are you finally going to give me that ring in the pantry? And by the way, why the hell would you ever hide it there? We both know you can't coo-" He silenced her teasing with a kiss, one she eagerly returned.

"You are bloody impossible sometimes." He whispered against his lips.

"But you love me for it."

"That I do."

"Let's go home."

"As you wish."


	10. Scottish Wedding Shenanigans

_So, this is the fluff that I promised my sister, we now have an accord, and I am no longer grounded! yay me! I figured the fandom could use some silly fluff headed into the final few episodes this season._

 _The Scotsman by Bryan Bowers. This song is just too funny. It's well worth the 3 minutes listen. Don't be drinking anything when you listen to this song, because you will snort with laughter. Seriously though, go listen to it!_

* * *

"You have got to be bloody insane if you think for one moment I am going out in public like that!" Killian held up the fabric of the kilt and glared across the room at his best friend.

"Where is your sense of fun? It's just for the night." David argued. "It's just for the pre-wedding party. Merida already thinks it's a brilliant idea."

"You ridiculous Americans think everything is all in good fun." He sulked. "Isn't this somehow considered inappropriate or something as neither of us is actually scottish?"

David gave him an exasperated look. "We are in _Scotland_ , attending a _scottish_ wedding, participating in the _scottish_ traditions. It is not inappropriate if we have been _asked_ to partake and we are being actively included. Now stop stalling and put on the damn kilt."

Grumbling to himself, Killian began to change into the shirt and vest that Merida had tailored to him. Not wanting to admit it, but it fit nicely. "Are you sure we can't just wear our own trousers- Dave- MATE what the bloody hell?"

When he turned around, David was naked from the waist down. "What? Aren't kilts supposed to be worn like this?"

"We are not 'free ballin' as you blasted yanks like to call it."

"Oh come on! It'll be fun, I promise." David pleaded with him.

"Mate, you're going to be the bloody death of me. What will your wife think?"

David shrugged nonchalantly. "Probably that it's much easier access." David quickly ducked the pillow that was hurled at his head.

"Not an image I needed in my head." Killian complained but reluctantly began to strip his bottom half. He rolled his eyes when David cheered. _There is no way this could possibly end well._

* * *

"Emma, Emma look!" Ruby nudged her in the side and she turned her head. "Isn't that the guy that was flirting with you all night?" Emma looked to where Ruby was pointing and sure enough, she saw the gorgeous man that had talked to her earlier at the pre-wedding party. He was passed out beneath a tree.

"Oh my God, is that David next to him?" Quietly, the girls walked over by the tree. Sure enough, her brother was leaned against the tree too. "Why are they against the tree?"

"Did you see how much they were drinking? It's a wonder Mary Margaret didn't cut him off. You know how much of a lightweight David is!" A snort of laughter escaped Emma before she could cover her mouth. "Should we wake them up? Or help them get back to their rooms?"

"How are we supposed to lift them? They are easily 200 pounds of deadweight each. Chasing skips is one thing, hauling an unconscious body, not so much."

"I guess it's a nice night out. They won't freeze if we leave them here." The dark haired man started to stir and the girls backed up quickly trying to hush each other's snickering. As the man shifted on the grass, Emma let out a small gasp as his kilt rode up, exposing a bare hip. Ruby immediately caught on. "Oh my gosh, they're not wearing underwear!"

"Ruby!" Emma admonished. "Of course they are…" but she wasn't so sure.

"They were going for traditional. Isn't it traditional that they don't have anything on under the kilt." With a mischievous grin, Ruby crept back to the stranger and slowly lifted his kilt. "Oh wow."

Torn between humiliation and curiosity, Emma couldn't help but take a peek. Turning several shades of red, she couldn't help but appreciate the view that they had been blessed with. "Come on Ruby, let's get out of here before they wake up. And don't even think for one moment that I'm going to let you pick up my brother's kilt too."

Ruby smirked and began to stand when Emma stopped her. "Here, at least we can let them know we appreciate what he's packing." Emma bent down and pulled her blue ribbon out of the bouquet of ribbons she had made. Quickly, and trying to not think about what she was really doing, she tied the bow on him, and pulled Ruby away.

"Why Emma Swan," Ruby giggled, "I didn't think you had it in you."

"Shut up," she laughed with a playful swat to her friends shoulder. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

Waking up to the call of nature, Killian groaned and rolled his neck and shoulders. It didn't take much to realize they hadn't made it back to the inn. Shoving David's shoulder, he stood and stumbled over to the bushes. Before he could relieve himself, he was shocked to find a blue ribbon tied in a bow.

"Well now, I'm not entirely sure what happened, but at least you won first prize." He barked with laughter.

"What are you talking about?" David mumbled. Killian turned to him, and David quickly averted his eyes. "Dude, what the hell?" Killian laughed before taking pity on him. He untied the ribbon and lowered his kilt.

"What exactly did we do last night mate? I only remember starting to walk back to the Inn. The rest becomes fuzzy."

"I don't even remember leaving the tavern. And don't you dare touch me with that ribbon." David began then gave a the ribbon a closer look. "Oh wow, I think I know who that belongs too."

* * *

Killian searched the crowd at the wedding reception. The blonde haired lass wasn't hard to spot, with her long hair braided into a crown with ribbons. And sure enough, the blue one that she had the night of the party was missing. Taking a sip of his ale to gather courage he made his way over to her.

"So lass, how do you know the newlyweds?" She turned to him, and her face immediately went red.

"Oh, um, well, yea," She couldn't look at him. He found it incredibly cute how flustered she was. "Um, Merida was one of my roommates at college." She was finally able to answer.

"Was she now?" He answered before he continued on. "I love the way you have your hair up. Are those the ribbons from the other night?" She nodded, still not able to meet his eyes. "I could have sworn you had a blue ribbon as well. Killian Jones, by the way." He reached his hand out in greeting. When she took his hand, he brought her wrist up to his mouth, letting his jacket slip a little to show that he had the blue ribbon around his wrist.

Her eyes went wide, and snapped up to his. "I can explain."

He chuckled at her as he placed a light kiss on the back of her wrist. "I'm positive it's a marvelous tale to be sure, but I would much rather acquire the details in a much more private setting." Her brows knit in confusion, but he did notice that she hadn't pulled her hand away. "Have dinner with me? We did after all, get to third base already?" She shook her head, speechless as to how to process what was happening.

"And if I say no?"

"Why, then I walk away, with naught but a blue ribbon and the knowledge that I won't ever know what happened that night." He meant every word. As intrigued as he was by this woman, he would walk away if she wished it. Though he hoped with his whole being she didn't.

Her eyes filled with merriment as she laughed. "Keep the ribbon, you definitely earned it." She smiled at him. "My name is Emma, and dinner sounds lovely."


	11. Shirt Thief

_Whoa feels like it's been half past forever since I posted something, this whole fic writing thing becomes addicting. Gosh darn real life getting in the way! Anyway, this is very loosely inspired by Thomas Rhett's song **T-shirt.** I'll warn you all that this is the raciest thing I've written that I've allowed other people to read. If that's not your thing, go ahead and skip this one. I promise you won't hurt my feelings! XOXOXO _

Killian woke up and stretched. He had to give his Swan credit, it was the most comfortable bed he had ever slept in, in all his long years. Part of the comfort, he knew, was the ability to enjoy sleeping with Emma in his arms, but the bed itself was next to heavenly. The sun crept in through the closed blinds and he marveled that he had slept passed the sunrise. As a sailor, with centuries of ingrained survival instincts, that almost never happened.

The space next to him was empty, the sheets long grown cold, but the aroma of coffee wafted through the door. With a smile, he sat up as he picked up the hint of bacon also. Standing up, he tied his sleeping pants around his waist and made his way quietly downstairs.

After the nonstop drama of the past few weeks, the crocodile's disappearance, and now Regina's warning that Hyde had somehow gotten to this world, it seemed that they were never going to be able to live without a crisis always looming. Emma had taken it all in stride, with a grin and a sigh, she declared they would deal with it in the morning. That they had _earned_ at the very least, one night of respite before tackling this new situation.

Pausing at the base of the stairs, he reveled in the look that met him. _What did I do to deserve such beauty?_ Emma was standing at the stove, her hair piled on top of her hair to keep it out of her way, clad only in his button down shirt.

"That is quite possibly the most delicious thing I have ever seen." He greeted her. She smiled at him over her shoulder as he moved to stand behind her and wrap his arms around her.

"Bacon is always delicious. I'm surprised you've actually been able to try it. Leroy usually cleans out Granny early in the morning." She hummed in content as he gently kissed her neck just behind her ear. She tilted her head slightly to allow him better access and he smiled into her skin. She was always so responsive.

"Bacon is not just a marvel of this realm, love." He murmured as he nibbled down her neck. A harder bite along the base of her neck caused her to gasp in pleasure as his arm and hand wandered over her front. His hand expertly undoing the top few buttons. He placed his lips on the shell of her ear and whispered breathlessly. "I was refering to you love."

"Mmm, didn't realize I was on the menu as well." She smirked doing her best to ignore his attentions. It became harder when his hand slid into her- _his_ shirt and cupped her breast and the pad of his thumb gently massaged her nipple. She groaned and arched into his touch.

"You are always on the menu." Using his left arm, he pulled her flush against him. He hissed slightly as she rolled her hips back into his growing erection. "Did you know what the sight of you wearing my shirt would do to me?"

She chuckled deeply and turned in his arms, "the thought definitely crossed my mind." She answered before claiming his lips in a mind numbing kiss. She tugged on his bottom lip with her teeth, before soothing it with her tongue. Moaning, he opened his mouth and curled his tongue around hers. Allowing his hand to wander, he quickly undid the remaining buttons on the shirt and pushed it aside as he snaked his hand around her bare waist. Bending slightly he gripped the back of her thighs with both arms and hauled her into his arms. Her hum of agreement urged him on as he walked a few steps and placed her on the counter top. She squealed as her bare ass hit the cold counter top.

He chuckled at her glare and left a trail of wet kisses down her neck and shoulder as he slowly moved the shirt off her. Kissing each section of skin as it was exposed. "If you keep this up, the bacon is going to burn." She gasped out as he made his way down her chest and kissed the side of her breast.

"Sod the bacon," he murmured, the small noises he was prompting from her were more delicious than any food he could conceive of. "We're suppose to meet your parents at Granny's anyway correct?"

She nodded, "We're also going to be late," her voice became more and more breathless as his hand trailed up the inside of her thigh stopping just short of where she was aching for him to touch.

Raising an eyebrow at her in amusement, he grinned at her. "Are you truly concerned?"

"Hell no," she whispered and pulled him to her in a searing kiss.

* * *

They managed to beat her parents to Granny's, but only by a few moments. It was hard to keep the smiles off their faces, but somehow they managed by avoiding eye contact with each other. When everyone arrived, Granny brought out a plates filled with pancakes and bacon for everyone to split. At the sight of the bacon, Killian smirked at Emma, who had to bite her lip to stop from laughing.

"Yes, Granny's bacon is the best." David said, helping himself to a few slices. Everyone began to divide up the feast as Granny brought over syrup and a pot of coffee.

"I don't know mate, I'm sure I can find something better." Killian mumbled just low enough for Emma to hear.

Emma almost snorted hot chocolate out of her nose.


	12. Scuttlebutt

_Howdy y'all! Feels like it's been forever since I posted something here, but this one was a quick little thing as I work on other projects. Projects that now that they are almost done, are becoming overwhelming. So here's a bit of sickeningly sweet fluff to get us through the week._

 ** _Bonnie Raitt- Something to Talk About_**

* * *

"Hi, I'm looking for an Emma Swan?" Emma looked up from her computer screen at the bubbly red head and smiled. Today she got the task of introducing the newest intern to the group of editorial assistants working on her floor of Mills Publishing. She had always loved reading, and she had managed to make a career out of a hobby. It was amazing, as was the company she kept.

"You must be Ariel," she held out her hand and shook the girl's hand with a welcoming smile. "Let me show you around." They walked around the floor, and Emma showed her where everything was, the copier, the lounge (that being important, that's where the food was kept) the bathrooms and finally where Ariel's cubicle was going to be.

"So, this will be your home for your internment. Oh, I forgot to ask, what is your favorite genre?"

Ariel smiled as she set her briefcase on the desk and answered with a blush. "Romance, paranormal romance more specifically."

"Don't be embarrassed! We all have our quirks. David likes historical fiction, his wife Mary Margaret likes romances as well." Ariel saw two hands raise above the cubicles and wave. "And Jones likes to pretend he's working, when he is really writing fanfiction for his newest obsession. I think this week it's a show about fairy tales. Sometimes it's about romanogers. Wait, is it buckynat or stucky... Jones, help a girl out!" Emma laughed when a hand raised in the air and flipped her off. "No but really, he does have a wee bit of an obsession with pirates." Emma turned and called across the room, "We still on for dinner tonight?" Again, the only response she got was a hand in the air, this one a thumbs up.

"Do you always refer to your boyfriend by his last name?" Ariel asked quietly. Emma looked at her with complete confusion on her face.

"My boyfriend? Jones? Oh no, we aren't dating. We've just been friends for years." She stammered completely caught off guard. The question flustered her more than she thought it should. She had never thought of him that way. Maybe once, when they were younger and drunk one night. They had declared their undying love for each other, then promptly fell asleep on her couch and laughed it off in the morning.

Since then, they had become best friends, nearly inseparable. But it had never been more than that.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, it was just, the look in your eye when you were teasing him. It just looked like something more. I'm sorry." Ariel stammered but Emma silenced her with a smile.

"Don't even worry about it. Feel free to decorate however you want, bring pictures and do whatever. Let your creativity flow. Like I said, this space will be your home for your internment. Make it homey." They exchanged smiles and Emma returned to her desk.

The thought stayed in her head the rest of the day. So much so that she couldn't focus on work. Everytime she tried to read a sentence, his blue eyes and teasing lilt popped into her head. It was just friendly teasing. They always had that dynamic. He flirted endlessly and she called him out on his bullshit. He had always flirted with her, but it never meant anything.

Or did it?

After two hours of trying to read the same sentence, she texted Mary Margaret to meet her in the lounge. She nervously paced by the coffee pot until she heard the light footsteps of the other woman approaching.

"So, what's up?" Mary Margaret greeted.

"The new girl said something funny to me. She called Jones my boyfriend." Emma studied her friends face and caught the reaction, the fighting off of a smile and twinkle in her eye, before she had a chance to hide it. "Not you too. Come on, we're just friends."

"I know that, but Emma, you and Killian act more like a married couple than David and I do. That man is clearly besotted with you, and you with him. You're both just too blind to it." Emma hid her face in her palm. This was not what she wanted to deal with. She didn't have time to date, or to worry about a boyfriend, or any of the relationship nonsense that came with being an adult. "It's not just me, it's like, the worst kept secret on the floor. There's a betting pool as to when you two will finally do the do."

Emma shushed her with a playful swat of her arm. "You are not serious."

"No, but now I know that the thought is in your head. At least think about it, Emma. There's worse things than realizing you've fallen in love with your best friend." With a groan, Emma hugged her friend and went back to her cubicle and tried to get work done, while simultaneously trying to figure out what she was going to do with this new information.

When she read the same sentence from before for the twelfth time (again) she groaned and dropped her head onto her hand, making a loud thud on her desk.

 _What even is my life?_

* * *

She loved him. Of that she was certain. She thought about her life, 5, 10, even 15 years from now and he was always there. He was the first person she thought of when she had news of any kind. Random little things she saw made her think of him. She trusted him with everything, and she could not imagine a scenario in her life where he wasn't a part of it.

But she didn't know if he felt the same.

Promptly at 7 pm, there was a knock on the door. She steeled herself a breath, then called out. "Door's open!" It was now or never.

"I wasn't sure what you wanted to eat, you never answered my email, so I picked up chinese, I hope that's-"

"Are we dating?" She blurted out, cutting off his rambling. _Smooth Emma, real fucking smooth._ She wanted to facepalm herself when all he did was look at her like a deer caught in the headlights. She never had been one for tact, always just blurting out what was on her mind.

"Sorry, what?" He shook his head and cautiously placed the bag of food on the counter. His hair was in a glorious mess, from hours spent at work where he unconsciously ran his hands through it. She suddenly had the urge to rake her hands through it. She knew his hair was soft, as she had given his temples many massages relieve headaches that bad grammar caused him. But this was different. She wanted to tug at the hair at the base of his neck and kiss him senseless.

Shaking herself, she laughed nervously and turned away. "Nothing, just something silly. Just forget I said anything." A few quick strides and he was at her back, boxing her in against the counter. With a sigh, she turned around to look at him. His eyes bore into hers. She couldn't place the emotion she was seeing in their blue depths. Her eyes dropped to his chest as she started to ramble.

"Ariel asked me if we were dating, and I told her no, but then I thought about it all fucking day, and now it's just in my head. And I just need to know if we're dating. If we're not, cool, but if we are I just-" her rant was cut off by his finger on her lips.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?" His tone was light, playful and he smiled when she nodded her head. Taking his finger off her lips he cupped her cheek instead and dropped his voice. "Do you want us to be dating?" Her breath hitched, slowly, hesitantly and with the fear of his reaction, she nodded again. His thumb gently caressed the apple of her cheek. "I'm going to kiss you now."

"Ok," she breathed out as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.

(They ended up having to reheat the chinese food and watched ridiculous rom-coms on her couch in just their underwear.)

(There was indeed a betting pool, to which Regina swept out of her office the next morning and collected her winnings. Neither Killian nor Emma cared)


End file.
